Jose Mourinho - The Special One (Part 2)

If you missed the first part, you can read it here - https://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/07/14/jose-mourinho-the-special-one-part-1/

Mourinho continued to weave his magic at Inter Milan, winning the Championship and the Italian Super Cup in his first season. This was followed with an amazing treble, adding another Scudetto, the Coppa-Italia and the UEFA Champions League. Having scaled such heights, he was the obvious choice to replace the departed Manuel Pellegrini at Real Madrid in May, 2010, and his cause was made easier by Inter’s 3-2 aggregate Champions League semi-final victory over Madrid’s arch rivals and then defending European Champions, Barcelona.

Jose Mourinho with the Champions League Trophy with Inter Milan

What Mourinho has brought to Madrid is a winners’ mentality. At Chelsea he had explained his priorities : “Look,we’re not entertaining? I don’t care; We win.” In his first ‘El Clasico’, Real Madrid were crushed 5-0 by Barcelona in what Madrid’s sporting director Florentino Perez described as the worst performance in the club’s history. The season was punctuated by spats and controversies, with the outspoken Mourinho bang in the eye of the storm, but ended the season with Real defeating Valencia to lift the Copa Del Rey for the first time in 18 years.

When Mourinho first took over at Real, his tactics of soaking up the pressure and relying on fast-paced counter attacks were alien to the team he inherited, and to the club. This season the style of play has been more forward, putting opponents under pressure, and taking advantage when they lose possession. A softer balance between attacking tradition and defensive discipline has emerged, which has seen Real Madrid score more goals whilst remaining tight at the back.

The press-charming Mourinho in his Real colours

The shift in the balance of power has been evident, as a nervy Barcelona succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at home to an efficient, disciplined and focused Madrid. The La Liga title is Mourinho’s, and Barca have been pushed to a distant second. Incredibly, in winning the Championship, Real have scored more than 100 goals. Records continue to fall at Mourinho’s feet, but the roots of his success date back to his childhood. As he says, “There’s a history made up by each of us that leads to us that final victory. It’s that history, in its entirely, that turns us into champions.”

In looking back at his formative years, there were perhaps two incidents that defined his destiny. His father had a successful playing career, and had moved into coaching once his playing days were over. Mourinho longed to follow his father’s footsteps, but understood from an early age the importance of winning. “I was nine or ten years old and my father was sacked on Christmas Day, the telephone rang and he was sacked in the middle of our lunch.”

“When you have a father, an ex-top player, and your dream is to be like him but you feel you couldn’t do it, your motivation comes from that point. I want to be really big in football. I feel I have some conditions to be a coach and manager. I start doing. I start loving it. I go to university and study sports science. This is a real passion and methodology.”

Sharp, decisive, victorious.

The second incident was recounted by Portuguese journalist Neto. The young Mourinho had been enrolled in business school by his mother, but quit after only a day. Neto said, “I believe that was the most significant day of his life. The day he said to himself: I’m going to prove to my mother that I can make a living from football.”

From 23rd February, 2002, and his time at Porto, continuing throughout his entire career at Chelsea and Inter Milan, and ending on 2nd April 2011, at Real Madrid, Jose Mourinho’s teams went undefeated in 150 home league matches over nine years. His secret is a combination of absolute belief in himself, attention to detail, and a broad prospective that embraces sports psychology and innovation.

Neto tells of Mourinho’s attention to detail: “He knows everything about his players – what time they go to bed, what they eat, how long they train. Mourinho wants to control every aspect of their lives.” Andy Roxburgh, UEFA Technical Director, says of Mourinho, “He is a very good communicator and can speak to the players in their own language. He is also very well organized. His team allies structure with individual talent.”

The special one

In a letter given to his players when he started out at Chelsea, he set out his philosophy and his expectations: “From here each practice, each game, each minute of your social life must center on the aim of being Champions. First-teamer will not be a correct word. I need all of you. You need each other. We are a TEAM.” He ended the letter with the summary of his foundation for success: “Motivation + Ambition + Team + Spirit = SUCCESS.”

Jose Mourinho – The Special One who creates special teams.